Hotshoe Solar View finder

thingiverse

*WARNING!!!* Looking directly at the sun is unsafe except during the brief total phase of a solar eclipse (“totality”), when the moon entirely blocks the sun’s bright face, which will happen only within the narrow path of totality (https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety (link is external)). *WARNING!!!* Aiming a camera at the sun will destroy the imaging sensor it contains if the camera does not have an adequate filter. (https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/optics-filters (link is external)). However, if you have a solar filter for your camera and are looking for a handy way to aim it at the sun, this might just work for you. This hotshoe adapter fits on our Canon 7D quite nicely. (You might need to adjust the shoe a bit to make it fit something else. Edit the version that does not include supports.) When slicing, make sure that features are enabled that detect thin walls. It's called "Detect thin walls" in Slic3r. If you don't, the "screen" won't show up in your print, because it's only 1 pass wide. When printing, use a lighter colored filament for best results (I prefer white for this). You will be able to see the spot the sunlight makes from either side of the projection screen. (see third photo). You will want to do this brief setup before the eclipse. How to use: - place the solar viewfinder on the hotshoe bracket on your camera - with your camera on a tripod and the filter in place over the lens, aim the camera so that the shadow of the camera is as small as you can make it. - with your camera set to as wide an angle view as you can, center the sun in your normal viewfinder. This may take a bit to get right. - once you have it centered in the camera's viewfinder, use a black marker and make a circle on the screen of the printed viewfinder around the spot. - (DO NOT MARK YOUR CAMERA's viewfinder or screen...just the printed one!) Now you can quickly get your camera centered on the sun! Good luck and happy viewing!